Australian Minister of Defence Robert Hill to "Reuters": Several companies have expressed an interest in the tender.
The Australian Ministry of Defence today announced that it would publish a tender for establishing an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron at the end of July. The tender is expected to be worth AUS$150 million, or US$106 million.
Australian Minister of Defence Robert Hill told "Reuters" that several companies had expressed an interest in the tender, including US, French, South African, and Israeli manufacturers.
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Elbit Systems (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE:ESLT) plan to bid in the tender as part of a consortium with US companies.
The plan to establish an Australian Army UAV squadron is part of a AUS$50 billion rearmament program. Hill said the decision to establish the squadron was one of lessons of the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The tender is expected to close in November 2004 and the winner will be announced in May 2005.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on July 5, 2004